1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic communication, and in one aspect to systems and methods for simplifying the use of multiple different methods of communication.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many different methods for electronic communication, including electronic mail (Email), instant messaging (IM), text messaging, Short Message Service (SMS), chat, Voice Over IP (VOIP), and voicemail. A communication method is sometimes referred to herein as a messaging protocol. Each communication method typically has its own corresponding user interface in the form of a web site, physical communication device, or client application. Examples of such user interfaces are Web clients, including Web electronic mail clients, Web instant messaging clients, and Personal Computer-based client programs, including electronic mail client programs, instant messaging client programs, and SMS client programs.
To send an electronic message, a user typically selects a communication method, and then uses the method's user interface to compose and send a message to a recipient. Each communication method has benefits and drawbacks, particularly in terms of the type of messages that can be sent and the amount of time that will elapse before the recipient reads the message. For example, an email message can contain many different types of information content, including text, audio, and video, but cannot be received by certain communication devices such as cell phones, and so may not be immediately readable by a recipient who has access to a cell phone but not an email client. An SMS text message, on the other hand, can contain only text, but can be read immediately if the recipient has access to an appropriate cell phone. Since the best communication method to use can vary depending on the circumstances, it is desirable to allow the user to choose the communication method. In existing systems, each communication method generally has a different communication interface. For example, a communication system may have an electronic mail client and a separate instant messaging client. Furthermore, the different interfaces are generally not closely integrated. For example, messages composed using the electronic mail client would be separate from messages composed using the instant messaging client. The need for different interfaces also causes some users to avoid using different communication methods, even when those different methods would be superior. For example, a user who has an email client account may never use instant messaging because of the need for a different account and interface for instant messaging. Furthermore, even if a user does have an instant messaging account, the user must choose whether to use email or instant messaging when composing a message. Because of these restrictions, it would be desirable to integrate these different interfaces together to allow users to more easily choose between different communication methods, and further to easily transfer between different communication methods and user interfaces.